Super intense cleaning

Today we had our kriya workshop. Kriyas are yogic cleansing exercises. Yogis are obsessed with cultivating sattva or purity. This includes their environment, their food, and their bodies inside and out. So today we learned about purifying the inside part.

I tried to approach the workshop with an open mind but knowing that it is not medically necessary to clean the internal orifices of our bodies, and could potential be damaging. But the yogis have done this for thousands of years. I understand how from a psychological perspective, having everything clean and pure is a logical step towards cleansing and purifying the mind, and preparing it for meditation. So as you are reading this, try to keep that in mind, and be prepared for some not-so-pleasant images...

The first exercise we did was called Trataka or steady gazing. We were instructed to stare at the flame of a candle without blinking for one minute, then closing our eyes for a minute and visualizing the flame, then repeating two more times. As you practice, you are supposed to be able to hold your gaze longer without blinking. Your eyeballs' natural response to drying out is to tear up. So even in our one minute we were all starting to cry. This is the cleansing of the eyeballs/tear ducts. They say the benefits include improved concentration and strengthening of the eyes.

The second exercise was Jala Neti. You might be familiar with the neti pot, it has become quite a mainstream practice. Basically you use this purpose-made mini teapot to pour saline water into one nostril as you lean over and tilt your head to the side. The water begins to run out the other nostril. This is supposedly beneficial for cleansing the nasal passages and the sinuses and prevent colds and infections.

Suta Neti was the third exercise. We threaded a rubber cathether up one nostril and pulled it out of our mouths. It has the same benefits as the neti pot. Which means I am never doing this again.

The third exercise was Kapalabhati. People who practice yoga will be familiar with this breathing exercise. If involves rapid, forceful exhalations, and the inhalation becomes passive. This eliminates carbon dioxide from the lungs and stimulates the organs in the stomach.

Nauli was the fourth exercise. This involved exhaling strongly and sucking in your abdomen, and then you churn it around like you are making your stomach dance. I wasn't able to do this, but it looks really crazy when its done properly, see this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHtNn0jKk0w

The fifth exercise was Kunjar Kriya. For this exercise we rapidly chugged 8 to 10 cups of warm salt water and proceeded to vomit. If you didn't vomit automatically, you were encourages to trigger your gag reflux by sticking your fingers down your throat. I was a little disturbed by this, but I decided to try it, and it was quite traumatic. Of course i got a head rush and tingling all over my body, but I get that when I am sick for real and its not a good feeling. I am concerned about them teaching this exercise to predominantly young women, because young women tend to have so many issues with food. I don't think they should be telling us that we are "cleansing" ourselves by vomiting.

One exercise that I did not do was called Vastra Dhauti. This involved swallowing a long piece of gauze and then slowly pulling it back out of your throat. Apparently this is good for gastritis, dyspepsia, diseases of the stomach, and disorders of phlegm and bile.

A final exercise that we were simply told about was Basti or colon cleansing. This is what it sounds like... It supposedly cures urinary and digestive disorders.

All of us were quite altered by this practice. Imagine 40 people throwing up in the bushes at the same time. It had quite an effect on the rest of my day, in different ways. I was exhausted so I had a nap. Then I felt really gtood. But I am thinking that was more from the nap than the vomiting. Then at various moments I have felt like crying. All in all, just another roller coaster day of Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training.